Cheshire East vows to fight appeals

Cheshire East Council has vowed to fight planning appeals but will not be contesting them on the grounds of housing supply

by Belinda Ryan

12:23, 20 Nov 2013Updated13:22, 20 Nov 2013

Cheshire East Council leader Michael Jones.

Cheshire East Council has vowed to stand up to developers by fighting four planning appeals.

The announcement was made public after Friday’s behind-closed-doors strategic planning board meeting.

The decision, which relates to appeals mainly in the Congleton area at present, has delighted residents who were critical of the board for throwing them out of the meeting. One of the appeals begins on November 26.

A spokesman for the Congleton-based residents’ group said: “This is a brilliant result and has come from the many efforts made by councillors, our MP Fiona Bruce and by residents.”

The question over whether or not the council would fight appeals has been up in the air since Secretary of State Eric Pickles ruled Cheshire East does not have a five-year housing supply.

Council leader Michael Jones, who said Friday’s meeting should have been held in public, was quick to applaud its decision.

“They are moving forward on all appeals, the four mentioned from the week before, in light of further information from the officers,” Cllr Jones told the Chronicle.

“Two are already being challenged and the other two are being challenged very shortly.”

Friday’s ‘secret’ planning board meeting had been called because ‘one or two members’ had felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the way the board had arrived at a decision on appeals at a meeting the week before.

Chairman Harold Davenport told Friday’s meeting: “As a result I did a ring round and most members were happy to have a look at that again and that’s what we are doing.”

The Chronicle understands the decision at the previous meeting had been taken to look at the appeals ‘en bloc’, rather than individually.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Jones said: “On a personal issue I find going en bloc, whilst not illegal, I find it morally corrupt not to give every application its full holistic hearing and discussion and I think many members felt that way.”

He said the strategic planning board had a particularly difficult job when there was no local plan and no five year housing supply .

“Today the people have been heard,” he said. “Although very few turned up, we’ve had 148 emails. The people have been heard loud and clear and next week we’ll meet to discuss the ongoing appeals decisions and we will look at what’s going forward.

“We are minded to appeal at least one and we’ll take it through from there.”

Yesterday Cheshire East released a statement saying two appeals in the Sandbach area would still be contested but not in relation to the housing land supply.

“At a meeting of the strategic planning board on November 15, the council decided not to present any further evidence on housing land supply on two ongoing planning appeals – at Rose Cottages in Brereton and Waterworks House in Sandbach," it stated.

“Both these appeals have already heard evidence on other grounds – such as sustainability and ecology – and were due to be reconvened to hear further evidence on housing land supply.

“In the light of recent appeal decisions which indicated the council could not demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, it was concluded that there was little merit in pursuing this aspect of the case any further.

“Both appeals will continue to be opposed but on matters unrelated to housing supply.”